Shankaracharya's commentary, trans. Alladi Mahadeva Sastry (1897)
[1]Among thousands of men, perhaps one strives for perfection; of those striving and perfected, perhaps one knows Me in truth.
BG 7.3
मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये | यतताम् अपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ||३||
manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye | yatatām api siddhānāṃ kaścin māṃ vetti tattvataḥ || 3 ||
"Among thousands, one strives for perfection — and among the perfected, perhaps one knows Me in truth."
All public-domain translations
6 translations · all pre-1928 or released to public domain · sources
Swami Swarupananda, Srimad Bhagavad Gita (1909)
[4]One, perchance, in thousands of men, strives for perfection; and one perchance, among the blessed ones, striving thus, knows Me in reality.
Annie Besant & Bhagavan Das, The Bhagavad Gītā (1905)
[5]Among thousands of men scarce one striveth for perfection; of those who strive and succeed, scarce one knoweth Me in truth.
William Quan Judge, The Bhagavad Gita (1890)
[6]Amongst thousands of men but one strives for spiritual attainment, and of those who so strive and succeed, but one, perchance, knows me in truth.
Sir Edwin Arnold, The Song Celestial (1885)
[7]Scarce one in many thousands of men seeks wisdom; and of those that seek, scarce one knows Me in truth.
K.T. Telang, Sacred Books of the East Vol. 8 (1882)
[9]Among thousands of men, perhaps one strives after perfection; and even of the perfect who strive, perhaps one knows Me truly.